


Next Door Down

by aspiring_adventures



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Dan Howell and Phil Lester Are Teenagers, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-09 19:37:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7814503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aspiring_adventures/pseuds/aspiring_adventures
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan's lived in the same neighborhood his whole life, in a house at the end of a cul-de-sac. Life is quite unremarkable, at least until a new family moves in next door. Among them is Phil Lester, a boy his age.<br/>Dan has no intentions of being friends, but when his mom forces him to show Phil around the school, he has no choice but to get to know him. Plus, it's hard to avoid someone who lives right next door...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there friends! I had so much fun writing the first chapter, and I'm so excited to continue the story!

At the end of Avery Lane, off Hillside Avenue, resides a small cul-de-sac, surrounded by forests and fields. Houses line the circle, all painted either a dull grey, or a muted green or blue. White flowers bloom in perfectly managed gardens, and birds sing happily from their feeders.

Dan Howell lives in the house furthest from the lane, an even number of houses on either side, three to the left, three to the right. In the furthest right lives nine-year-old Jason, who specializes in throwing rocks and kicking over garbage cans, and his parents, who have a tendency to leave him alone far too often. Next to Jason is Ol’ Myrtle, the retired cat lady. The two do not get along.

The neighboring house to the right is empty, and has been for over a year. No one knows if the city has any plans for it, but Tony, the neighborhood realtor, takes the time to mow the lawn, so at least it isn't an eyesore.

The left three houses hold almost the same three couples, all mid-forties, with Important Jobs and no children. Tony and his wife, at least, throw a mean barbeque when they have the time. The other two couples are indistinguishable.

Nothing much changes in Dan’s neighborhood, and that’s just how he likes it. No change means no chance for anything to get worse. Sure, it can get a little dull, but he has video games and the internet to keep him busy. Dan doesn’t need anything else… not really.

* * *

It was a late August day when He arrived. One of those days where you could practically _see_ the sun and the leaves interacting, the latter being baked to a beautiful golden-brown crisp. Parched lawns begged to be watered, but the sky had a set schedule, and couldn’t book an appointment with rain until September. From out his back window, Dan could see a malnourished brook winding its way into the forest in hopes of a drink.

The moving van showed up almost out of nowhere, even the car motor humming quietly, as if to mask the families arrival. Dan watched with idle fascination from his front window, enough to notice the boxes are marked by at least four different names. Dan only catches two - Martyn and Phil.  

Dan groans as he realizes that four boxes probably means two children. Two children, especially if they’re somewhere around his age, means two more reasons his mom could make him leave the house.

“Why don’t you go see what the neighbors are up to?” she’ll ask, then give him a speech about the importance of being friendly when he complains that he’s just fine staying in.

This summer had gone so perfectly too, and his lack of tan proved it. There were only a two days left of summer, and Dan was planning to cherish them before returning to actual brick-built hell. It didn’t matter that he was going into his final year of secondary school, he knew it would still be awful.

Dan closes the curtains before he sees anyone but the movers leave the van. He’ll meet the neighbors eventually if his parents have anything to say about it, no need to rush.

* * *

It’s not until around dinner time the Sunday before school starts that Dan checks back in on the neighbors, after a long, dark day in his basement cove. He’s met with a surprise when he ducks his head out the front door, a shock of yellow nearly blinding him in the late afternoon sun. They’ve repainted the house!

How they managed to do it that quickly, Dan has no idea, but it certainly made a statement. This neighborhood buzzes for weeks if someone gets a new haircut, Dan knows there’ll be chatter about this until Christmas, at least.

At that moment, an olive minivan pulls into Dan’s driveway. Too slow to realize his fatal mistake, Dan ducks back into the house, retreating to his dark cove, hoping his mom doesn’t come after him. He hasn’t showered in days, his hair is a curly mess, and his outfit is dreary at best. This would be the absolute _worst_ case scenario for meeting the new neighbors.

“Daniel!” he hears from upstairs. He puts in his headphones, turns on Muse, and cranks up the volume. Maybe she won’t bother.

“Sweetie, I picked up a lemon pound cake for the new neighbors! Why don’t you go deliver it to them?”

The lemon cake seems like cruel irony with their new house color. Almost as if his mom is mocking them, ever so slightly.

“Hey, champ!” Light floods the room as his dad peaks his head through the door. “Did you hear your mom? Let’s get a move on!”

“Must be a ‘fifty pound cake’ if you need three people to carry it,” Dan mutters, but rises from his sofa crease. Maybe the neighbors will be out, he didn’t see a car in their driveway.

“Atta boy, off we go!”

Silently begging for the merciful release of death, Dan trudges up the stairs after his father, tripping over the top step.

His mom is dressed in a pastel blue cardigan, which pairs well with his dad’s green polo shirt. Next to the two of them, Dan looks like the grim reaper, in his dark t-shirt and jeans. Black should be good for blending in, not sticking out.

“Oh dear, I hope we’re not interrupting their dinner,” his mother frets as they cross lawns.

“Honey, it’s only six-fifteen, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

His mom forces a smile. “Here it goes,” she says in a hushed whisper, raising her hand to the knocker.

Dan holds his breath, counting. _10, 11, 12… maybe he’ll get lucky after all_.

Then the door opens, slowly, and he finds himself face-to-face with a boy about his age. He’s taller than Dan, sporting a similar haircut. His shirt is purple, and Dan recognizes the gengar smile. _Oh no_. Dan loves pokemon as much as the next nerd, but he’d never go around wearing one on a t-shirt.

“Hey there!” the boy waves awkwardly.

“Hi, dear,” Dan’s mom peers past him, her face contorted to look concerned. “Are your parents home?”

“No,” the boy says with a sad smile. “They went out bowling.”

“And you stayed behind?” his dad asks, prying far more than Dan thought appropriate. Who cares if he stayed home alone, Dan would’ve done the same.

To his surprise, the boy breaks into laughter.

“Last time I went bowling, I hit a poor man with a dodgy ball I threw! I’m super clumsy,” he says lightly.

Subconsciously, Dan cracks a smile.

“What grade are you going into, um…”

“Philip. Phil for short, please,” the boy says with with a shy smirk. “And this is my last year.”

“Same with Dan!” his mom announces, embarrassingly ruffling Dan’s hair.

“Mum!” Dan complains, fingers combing through his hair to maintain some semblance of style.

“That’s awesome!” Phil grins, looking directly at Dan for the first time, and Dan can’t help but be struck by the sheer blue of his eyes. He looks away quickly. “Always nice to know someone there."

“Maybe you could help him around!” his dad suggests merrily. “Show him the ropes.”

Dan risks a quick glance up at Phil, and finds him looking away, mouth half open, as if he wants to say something. Dan waits for him to deny the offer.

He doesn’t.

With a deep sigh, Dan mumbles a small, “Sure.”

Phil still hasn’t looked at him. Damn him for not saying no.

“Well,” his mom says, maybe catching the awkwardness hanging in the air, “We must be off. Lovely to meet you, Philip.”

Under his breath, Dan hears Phil whisper, “Just Phil.” His mom always does the same to him, calling him “Daniel”, though he prefers “Dan”. He’s told her so many times, it’s not even worth trying anymore.

Dan trudges back to his own house, scowling when he steps in a pile of dog poop. This day could not have gone worse.

* * *

“Daniel, I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal out of this,” his mom says, sliding three celery sticks into a plastic bag. “He seems like a perfectly nice boy, can’t you just show him around on the first day?”

She rinses off an apple as Dan tries to think of a reasonable reason for why Phil can’t come with him. He knew it was probably pointless when he approached her, but couldn’t resist at least trying.

“He looks weird, he probably wouldn’t fit in with me and my friends.” Total lie, but there was no way he would tell his mom his actual reasoning.

“I don’t care if he doesn’t fit in with your friends, I’m just asking you to be _nice_ to him. That’s not too much to ask. Here’s your lunch for tomorrow.”

She passes over the brown paper bag, requested by Dan for its neutrality, and he puts it in the fridge.

“But-”

“Daniel, this won’t kill you. Now go to sleep, you’ve got a big day ahead of you.”

Defeated, Dan walks up the stairs to his bedroom, stopping short when he sees a light on in the room nearest his window. It shocks him because it’s been months since the house next door had any lights on, but Dan quickly connects the dots. Now they have neighbors, lights will frequent the house.

Dan closes his blinds for privacy, and picks up his computer, knowing full well he’ll regret it in the morning. But hell, this may be the last bit of free time he has for nine months, and he wants to take advantage of it.

He doesn’t go to sleep until the birds start singing.

 


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes. First day of school. Always sooooooo fun.

In his dreams, Dan has friends. In his dreams, Dan isn’t alone. In his dreams, Dan can fly. 

The alarm blares. Time to face reality again.

Dan can feel the weight of last night’s restlessness pressing on his eyes. They feel puffy, and one look in his mirror confirms it. His eyes flit over the reflection, finding nothing he actually likes. Messy hair, plain brown eyes, and an overall hallow look to his face. 

Not wanting to dwell on the unpleasant, Dan opens his wardrobe, picking an outfit that should blend in well: dark grey shirt, black pants, black shoes. He turns on his straightening iron and gets to work on his hair, only burning himself twice this time, a new record. 

“Daniel!” his mom calls from downstairs. “Your father made you breakfast! Hurry on down!”

Sleepiness still slightly clouding his vision, Dan heads downstairs into the light of morning. The smell of pancakes helps to wake him up though, and he hurries to the breakfast bar. 

“Thanks,” he says, his first word of the day.

“No problem!” his dad chirps. He flips another pancake. 

Dan’s mom sets a plate of butter down on the table. “Philip is going to be over in ten minutes, can you help him find the bus stop?” 

“Mum,” Dan whines. “He’s a big kid, he can find the bus stop on his own.  Can’t I just meet him there?”

A plate of butter slams down on the table just a few inches from Dan’s fingers, making him pull his hand away quickly. 

“Daniel. The Lester’s could end up being some  _ very  _ important clients for your father. The least you could do is be nice to their son. Now, eat up!”

Rather shocked by her tone of voice, Dan obliges, shoveling down pancakes to leave the table sooner. A knock sounds at the door just as he’s swallowing his last bite. Resigned, Dan stands, grabs his backpack, and leaves before either of his parents can get a word in.

“Morning, Dan!” A blast of cheer hits him as he opens the door, Phil beaming in a way Dan thought impossible to do before noon.

“Hey Phil,” he says nonchalantly, not meeting Phil’s eyes. 

“Did you sleep okay??” Phil asks as they walk down Dan’s front steps.

_ Jesus, this boy is like the freaking sun. Early to rise, and impossible to escape from _ , Dan thought. 

“I slept fine, thanks,” Dan responds with minimal effort. He could mention that he only got three hours of sleep, or that his dreams were rather lovely, but he doesn’t want this boy getting the wrong idea. Those are the sorts of things you only tell your friends. 

“I had the weirdest dream last night,” Phil continues, gesturing wildly. “I went to order pizza from a new business in town, and they only had one kind - Nebula Pizza, I think it was called - but when they showed up at my house their skin was a weird shade of green, and when I touched the pizza a beam of light pulled me from my house up into a spaceship!”

Phil looks over at Dan, checking to see if he heard him. Dan feels a small pang of guilt, and rally’s to give him a quick “Wow!” of acknowledgement. 

“Did you have any dreams?”

“Oh, look, here’s the bus stop,” Dan redirects. He pulls out his phone to check the time, and is dismayed to find they still have five minutes to wait. Dan’s already done more socializing in the walk here than he normally does in a whole day, so instead of putting away his phone, he unlocks it and starts scrolling.

This perfect spell of silence lasts an astounding thirty seconds before Phil pipes up again. 

“Hey, can I see your schedule? I just got mine yesterday!”

Without saying a word, Dan pulls his schedule from his backpack and hands it over to Phil. Another blissful twenty seconds pass quietly. 

“Shile! We only have one class together!”

“Oh?” Dan says, relieved.

“Yeah, just chemistry. Seventh period.”

_ Oh fuck _ , Dan thinks. Not only is this his only class with Phil, but also his only class with Seth. Dan was hoping to keep the two of them far away for each other - for Phil’s sake, and his own. 

“Hmm,” he says, just to give the appearance of continuing the conversation.

“Is chemistry hard?” Phil asks nervously.

“I don’t know, Phil. I haven’t taken it yet.” 

“Oh. Hey, what did Oxygen say when Magnesium asked him out? OMg!”

“What did Nitrogen say when Oxygen tried to tell him a shitty pun? NO,” Dan shoots back harshly, immediately regretting it. Phil was just telling him a silly joke, Dan had no reason to be so rude.

To his surprise, Phil laughs. 

“That was a good one! Did you just come up with that?”

“Maybe,” Dan says with a small smile.

“You know what would be so cool? If we came up with a code using the periodic table! You could just say the elements and it would spell the word! We could take over London using our code!”

Dan sees a million reasons for why that wouldn’t work, but before he can say any of them, the telltale  _ vrum  _ of the bus sounds from down the street. 

“Yeah, that’d be cool,” he says, just before the bus arrives. 

“Is this it?” Phil asks, squinting to get a good look. Dan bites his tongue to avoid replying with a sarcastic  _ No, Phil, we’re waiting for the rocketship to pick us up _ , and instead swings his backpack over his shoulder and gives Phil a nod of confirmation. 

They board the bus, Dan not sure if his leadership role has expired now that they’re on the way to school. Phil indicates that it’s not by sitting next to him, three rows from the front, Dan’s normal spot - not right in the front, but close enough no one will mess with him.

“Hey, Phil,” Dan begins in a neutral tone. “I, um, I always listen to music on the bus ride. Do you mind if I plug in?”

It’s not entirely untrue - Dan does often listen to music on the bus ride to school - but more than anything, he just needs a few minutes to himself before he’s launched back into hell.

“No problem! I’ll just look out the window!” Phil says with a smile. He turns to face the view, subsequently looking at Dan as well. Dan averts his eyes quickly.

“Do you want to switch places so you can see easier?” Dan offers.

“Oh! That’d be great, thank you, Dan!” 

A few seconds of awkward shuffling later, the boys sit in the other’s spot. Headphones in, Dan opens up his  _ Calm the Fuck Down  _ playlist, specially made for situations like this. The music soothes him, and he finds his eyes drifting over to the window as well. 

Phil’s looking intently through the glass, marveling at each new sight. To Dan, who’s ridden this route his whole life, nothing but Phil’s reactions are worth noticing. His face lights up at every new attraction, his body straightening upright whenever he sees something of interest.

Dan finds himself growing mesmerized by Phil’s excitement, watching his smile grow. 

As they drive by a pasture of cows Phil looks back at Dan, smiling brightly. 

“Can you see okay?” he asks.

Dan snaps out of his trance quickly.

“Oh, yeah. Yeah I can see fine, thanks,” he laughs awkwardly. 

“It’s quite a nice ride!” Phil says in wonderment. 

“Yeah, it’s not bad.” Dan turns up his volume. There are less than five minutes left in the ride, and Dan needs to take advantage of them. This is his last quiet time for almost seven hours. 

Sooner than he would like, the school moves into view, brick-red and foreboding.

“Oh dear,” Phil whispers, just loud enough for Dan to hear him over his music. He takes out his headphones and joins Phil in looking out the window.

“It’s much bigger than my old school,” Phil says, and for the first time, Dan catches something other than pep in Phil’s voice. He sounds almost… scared.

Racking his brain for some kind of reassurance, Dan offers up, “You’ll get used to it quickly.”

“I hope so,” Phil says, standing up with everyone else now that the bus has stopped. Dan stays seated for just a moment longer, holding onto his last bit of freedom before rising to join the masses. 

The two trudge towards the entrance, Phil’s head on a swivel, drinking in all the activity.

They’ve almost made it to the halls, and Dan can imagine how the rest of the day will go. He’ll direct Phil to his first class, giving him a few tips about navigating the halls, then Phil will leave, and Dan will be left alone once more. Phil’s bound to make at least a few friends - he’s incredibly nice, and he’s got a clean slate. Hanging around Dan will only hurt him. It’s for his best that Dan cuts him loose.

“Hey Dan, do you think we could eat lunch together today? I’d love to know someone in the lunchroom.”

Dan’s stomach twists. What does he do? Does he leave Phil to fend for himself in the lunchroom alone, scanning the room for a place to sit? Or does he invite him to join him at a table, and doom Phil’s chances of ever making any friends? 

Dan weighs the two options, trying to determine the lesser of the two evils. 

“I, erm, I’m going out to eat today. Back to school tradition. Maybe some other time?”

He looks up at the end of the sentence, and immediately regrets it. Phil’s face is a terribly sad blend of contradictions, a kind smile plastered over an expression of utter sorrow.

“That’s fine,” Phil gets out. “Maybe tomorrow?”

“For sure,” Dan musters a smile. Hopefully by tomorrow Phil will have his own friend group, and will realize that hanging out with Dan would’ve been a mistake. Painful as it may be for Phil, Dan knows he’s doing the right thing for him. 

Certain that this will be his last conversation with this boy, Dan tries to be as helpful as possible directing him to class, before sending him on his way, and ducking into the crowd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo yo yo thanks for reading this fic, y'all! I hope you are enjoying it so far because I'm having a great time writing!
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated!


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short lil backstory

It wasn’t always like this. Dan once had people he could talk to. He used to have plans after school, and friends to walk in the halls with. 

Life could’ve gone on like that, so mundanely perfect in retrospect, had Dan not fucked up majorly three years ago. 

He and Seth Rogers were in the same class for Maths, and they found their skills complimented the others’ well. Dan was good at the basic maths, he could multiply and divide easily without using a calculator. Seth was good at everything else. They made a good team.

And so they found themselves spending quite a lot of time together, especially with finals coming up at the end of the year. They would go over to each other’s houses, meet up at fun restaurants, study in the park together. A strange feeling had begun to build up in Dan, and though he tried to suppress it, every time he saw Seth, it grew a little more.

With great trepidation, Dan realized what was really going on. 

He had a  _ crush  _ on Seth Rogers. Seth Rogers, who was very much not a girl. 

For months, Dan did a fantastic job of hiding his feelings, even dating a very sweet girl named Sarah for a few weeks, but the feelings stayed put. One day, Seth invited Dan over to his house to spend the night, prefacing the invitation by saying with a sly smirk, “My parents won’t be home.”

Dan’s head spun the whole rest of the day, trying to figure out what Seth meant. Was he… hitting on him? 

When he arrived at Seth’s house, wearing an outfit he altered many times to get  _ just right _ , he found Seth waiting on the porch, tossing a tennis ball for his dog to retrieve. Upon seeing Dan, he dropped the ball to wave.

“Hey loser!” he called, their signature greeting. 

“Same to you!” Dan called back good-naturedly. He joined Seth on the porch and followed him into his house. 

“I rented  _ The Blair Witch Project  _ for tonight, think you can handle it?” Seth said over his shoulder, leading Dan up to his room, where they always hung out. 

“Please,” Dan scoffed. “I can bear the blair.”

“I’d give that joke a decent six out of ten.”

“I think you mean three out of five,” Dan replied. “You’re always forgetting to reduce your fractions.”

“Oh shut up!” 

Though it was only seven or so, the winter months had darkened the sky hours before. They popped in the movie, sitting against the floor with their backs to Seth’s bed. Dan was unable to ignore how close they were to each other, their arms and legs brushing. 

“Guess what I have,” Seth said, moving a blanket to uncover several red cans. Dan’s innocent eyes widened as he realized the contents of the cans.

“Beer, I stole it from the cabinet after my parents left. I thought it might be fun.”

Dan had never drunken any more than a sip of his parents wine before, but Seth was smiling and offering him a can, so he accepted it without objection. He took a sip, and pursed his lips at the taste. 

“Yeah, it’s cheap, but it’ll do the job,” Seth said merrily. 

Forcing a laugh, Dan took another sip as the movie began. 

Two-and-a-half beers in, the movie started getting legitimately scary. Feeling a little out of it, Dan buried his head in Seth’s chest.

“Oh c’mon,” Seth laughed. “We haven’t even gotten to the scary part yet!”

Dan began to retreat to his original position, but stopped when his eyes met Seth’s. They were a beautiful golden brown, much prettier than Dan’s dull, dark ones. They were focused on Dan so intently, and somewhere in Dan’s mind, he thought  _ this was it _ . This was when he would kiss Seth Rogers, and some part of him hoped he might kiss him back.

In the dark of night, moved by the power of intoxication, Dan raised his head to Seth’s. 

Their lips never met.

Seth pulled away so fast Dan fell forward, the rough carpet scraping his hands. Light flooded the room, and Dan realized what a big mistake he’d made. 

Of course Seth wouldn’t kiss him, what was he thinking?? Seth was popular and cool, and definitely into girls. Besides, living out in the suburbs meant people had different views on this sort of stuff, why didn’t he think of that?

“Oi! What the fuck are you doing?”

“I’m, I’m so sorry,” Dan stammered, scrambling backwards.

“Were you trying to kiss me?” Seth demanded, and suddenly, Dan didn’t think his eyes were so beautiful anymore. Now they were flaming, hot and angry.

“I just, I’m so-”

“No, you’re not sorry! You were trying to snog me!”

“It’s just, you said your parents weren’t home, and-” Dan frantically tried to explain.

“So you thought that would be the perfect time to make a move on me? While no one else was around, huh?”

“Nono, it’s not like that at all!”

“Oh yeah, so what is it like?”

Dan fell silent, too traumatized and intoxicated to respond.

“That’s what I thought. Get out of my house.” Dan rose to stand, exiting the room when Seth said it, the three letter slur that truly broke Dan. He turned on his heel, sized Seth up, and said surprisingly calmly, “Fuck you.”

 

Of course, Seth didn’t let their interaction go untold. Dan overheard him telling the story in the locker room, the scathing words like a harpoon to the heart.

“The freak tried to kiss me! I always thought he was a weird little shit, but I didn’t think he would be  _ gay _ ,” he said, the last word spoken with such disgust.

“So what did you do?” a girl asked.

“I tossed the fucker out. Said good riddance.”

The girl curled her arm around Seth’s, smiling demurely at him. “Oh, you were so brave.”

Dan hurried away, having listened to more than enough. By now, almost the whole school had heard, and people were avoiding him at all costs.

Obviously, not everyone thought he was a terrible person, some even told him they were sorry through brief passings, but no one wanted to go against the rest of the school, everyone thinking they were the only one who thought he was okay. No one wanted to rock the boat, and thus, Dan was thrown to the fishes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, this chapter was a wild one to write. What are your thoughts so far? I always love getting constructive criticism, it makes the story so much better in the long run. 
> 
> Bye lovelies, I hope you have a great day!

**Author's Note:**

> Phew, Dan is just a big grumpy-pants in this chapter. Oh well, he can't stay angry forever...
> 
> Please feel free to leave a comment or suggestion down below, I really appreciate them!


End file.
